Snow White
by Auronef Zilberschlag
Summary: Young Gilbert finds a little Snow White, sick and terrified. Countryside/1976 AU
1. I Saw Snow White

_Snow White_

Gilbert was a very energetic child. He enjoyed most sports, mostly football, as it was his father's favourite sport. He also enjoyed climbing trees, running in fields, swinging on the swing sets, and balancing on monkey bars. With this much energy, you could only imagine how excited he was to learn that he and his little brother were moving somewhere that had plenty of fields and trees for him to run around, as well as a huge lake he could swim in, and there were gardens so big that he could do those things in the movies, running through bushes and be surrounded by flying petals. This was all amazing.

However, the car ride was not the most fun part of the journey.

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

...

"Are we there yet?"

"No, Gilbert."

...

"Are we-"

"Gilbert, you'll know we're there when you see the big house with plants all over it, okay?"

"Woah! Our house has plants all over it?"

"No. That is our neighbour's house. Their house is just more noticeable."

"Awwwwww!"

Gilbert slumped into his seat, crossing his arms. He took a brief glance towards his little brother, Ludwig, who was quietly playing with his toy soldiers. Sometimes Gilbert envied his patience. The boy was usually calm, quiet, patient, and had a strong mind. He didn't let other's convince him otherwise on anything, once he's got a firm belief of it. Maybe, instead of firm mind, stubborn would be a better word, but one would assume it was the polite way to be stubborn.

To pass his time, Gilbert watched the scenery through his window, everything flying by in a blur of colour. There were trees, and more trees, then even more trees- oh look, a meadow! And then, trees once more.

The only moment Gilbert became fully entranced by the outside beauty is when they passed the exact house his father had mentioned. Instead of a creepy, old, haunted house that Gilbert had thought of, it was a gorgeous mansion, towering high, blocking the sun so well from the car as they passed by. There were vines encircling the windows, and you could see passed them, a dinning table fully set, with a chandelier hanging elegantly over it. There was a man there, who looked stalky, had a greying beard, and wore expensive clothes, chained, oval glasses hanging around his neck. He was reading a book at the table, occasionally writing something down from whatever he picked up.

The moment Gilbert looked at another window, he was only able to get a short glimpse. His father had interrupted his entrancement.

"We're here boys! This is home."

Gilbert looked at the house, but didn't feel very excited about it. In fact, his interest in moving had already gone out the window. He saw something better. It was only a glimpse, a short one, but he remembered the milky skin and red lips clearly, as well as the short, raven black hair. He was sure of what he saw.

"Pa? I think I just saw Snow White."


	2. I Can't See Snow White

_Snow White_

Gilbert knew his father would blow him off when he said that, so he didn't really care when he totally ignored that comment.

"Alright, kids, I think it's time to go meet the neighbour. I promised him he would get to see the two of you the moment we made it, so why don't we go now?"

Gilbert jumped at the idea enthusiastically, running out of the car with his backpack and leaving a dusty trail as he made his way to the metal gates. There he waited, and he continued looking through the windows. The one where he saw Snow White was now curtained, which was greatly displeasing, as he wanted to prove his father wrong as soon as possible. But the other windows were entertaining enough. The windows on the second floor were filled with black and white as maids and butlers ran back and forth, rushing to finish their chores. It looked fun, as Gilbert enjoyed rushing. Well, rushing, maybe not, but running back and forth was fun. He never got to do it inside.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, his father and little brother had made it to the gate. Gilbert rolled his eyes. They were very slow, most of the time. He decided that he was going to make sure they both train to get faster. Yes, that sounds like a good goal.

"I thought you'd already be at the door."

"I wanted to look at the windows."

His father took a glance at the windows and smiled.

"They are indeed pretty, aren't they?"

Confused, Gilbert trailed his father's gaze, and saw, at the very top floor, a stain glass window, filled with sunlight that was brimming from the other side. How Gilbert didn't notice, well, he doesn't know how. But now that he saw it, he was experiencing a feeling that his teacher said once. He was experiencing the feeling of seeing something... breathtaking.

His father had opened the gates, and Gilbert followed him like a duck to the grand double doors. It was wide, the wood dark, and had metal symbols linking around it. There were two large door knockers, one the head of a lion, the other, a looping snake. The snake creeped Gilbert out. He hid behind his father's legs, trying to block the view as his father knocked, once, twice. There were footsteps, and not a moment too soon, the door opened, revealing a young lady in a black and white maid's uniform, her hair in a tight bun.

"Hello there. Are you Herr Beilschmidt, our master's new neighbour?"

"Yes, that would be me. I brought my sons with me."

"Right this way."

The three males followed the woman into the dinning room, and there Gilbert saw the stalky man from before, still doing the same routine. The man looked up and smiled, the corners of his eyes wrinkled, but his orbs held a young and vast twinkle that no one could ignore.

"Welcome, old friend."


	3. I Found Snow White

_Snow White_

The three males sat down together in the dinning room, the two boys enjoying fresh biscuits while the men slowly sipped their champagne.

"So, Herr Edelstein, what woman decided to give you her name?"

"Oh, please, Dolf, stop assuming I'd be the woman of any relationship."

"It's your tastes, not mine."

Gilbert had grown very bored of the conversation, it was quite obvious as he started crumbling his last biscuit on the plate, making a mess. His father noticed this, and as he opened his mouth to scold the child, Herr Edelstein held a hand up to silence him. He leaned in, his eyes directed towards Gilbert, a friendly smile on his face.

"Gilbert?"

Gilbert looked up from his masterpiece, eyes wide.

"Do you know that I have a son too? He's about your age, maybe a little younger."

"Kids my age don't like me so much." Gilbert went back to creating art, and Herr Edelstein had to think of a different approach, now. Something to get Gilbert interested.

"Do you like adventures?"

"Yes. Especially if it involves running. Why?"

Herr Edelstein triumphed in this progress.

"Would you like to go on a treasure hunt?"

"Yes..." Gilbert smiled, his face radiating pure happiness. "Treasure hunts are fun!"

"Well then, after cleaning up, why don't we try looking for something? Everything will be within the house."

Gilbert rushed to wipe his face off the crumbs, folding the napkin nicely back into olace, and he took his plate to go clean. Herr Edelstein smiled, taking out a piece of paper to write down all the items for Gilbert to find.

"Nikki-"

"Nikolaus."

"Right, sorry, you're too old for nicknames." Herr Beilschmidt rolled his eyes. "Are you alright with Gilbert running around your house?"

The maid came in, coming to clean the table. Herr Edelstein smiled.

"Why not? The maids and butlers are constantly running back and forth upstairs."

The maid froze in spot, her hand pressing a rag onto the table.

* * *

Gilbert ran around with the list on hand, a basket in his grasp to carry all the things. They were mostly things such as books, paperweights, nutcrackers, and other things. However, after finding nearly everything, there was just one thing that Gilbert had trouble finding. It was a book, the title being simply Momo. Gilbert thought he had searched everywhere, every floor and every room, looking through every book in the library, but had no such luck.

Then, Gilbert remembered the room where he saw Snow White.

He travelled to the front of the house, first floor, and saw that part of the house shut off by a wall, next to the stairs. There was no door to the inside.

_Maybe_... Gilbert thought. _Maybe the door is outside? _

And so Gilbert exited through the front door, passing a smiling Herr Edelstein. He hopped to the side of the house on small stones, through the garden, and there was the door. It was unlocked, Gilbert noticed as he grasped the handle, and he opened wide. There, in a dark purple bed, he found milky skin, red lips, and ebony hair. He found Snow White.


	4. Talking of Snow White

_Snow White_

"Please excuse my eldest son for his behaviour."

Herr Edelstein stopped midway as he was about to sip his champagne, and sighed, placing it back down.

"Dolf, your son was perfectly fine. He's just a bit... energetic. I don't see anything wrong with that. Besides, I'd be worried if he wasn't bored out of his mind, hearing us old men talk about things like politics... and women. At his age, his mind need something to occupy it. It can no longer occupy itself, like how babies are fine with playing with their fingers."

"Yes, that may be true..."

Herr Beilschmidt sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Is that how your son is like? Energetic? Constantly on the move?"

"No, not quite. Due to certain conditions, my son is bedridden most of the time. I've been forced to homeschool him, the poor thing. Just like his mother, he is prone to sickness."

Herr Beilschmidt frowned.

"Prone to sickness? Are you telling me that your boy is always sick? With what?"

"Oh, I don't know. I wouldn't say he's always sick, but whenever he goes outside, he just topples over. Somedays, he can't even get out of bed. His body is quite weak. It makes me quite sad that the boy is still happy, even in his condition. Apparently, the only thing he ever wants to do outside is garden. He keeps telling me that's the only downfall. He simply does not want to meet new children, or go on a car ride, or pick flowers from the meadow. He wants to stay inside, play piano, read a book, and bake. He especially likes baking. He's very good at that. However, I say his piano skills are exceptional. I try to use the excuse of him joining an orchestra when he grows up, just to see him go outside, but he simply refuses."

"That's quite the dilemma. He knows about your concerns?"

"I assume so. I've never actually flat out told him how worried I was, but after all my constant pestering, I'm sure he gets the picture."

"What is his name?"

"Roderich. His mother picked that out. She would tell me, during the time she had her constant mood swings and vomit sessions, that our son would have beautiful eyes and black hair, fair skin, and red lips. She said if such an event would occur, our child would be named either Roderich or Sophia. She turned out completely correct, but she did not live long enough to see his face."

"Because she was weak?"

"Exactly. And Roderich takes after his mother. Not only for the weak body, though. He has all her good points. He is quite humble, though he'd refuse and say, 'I'm simply being honest,' and he loves animals, despite the fact that he really can't go near them. He is introverted, and is constantly staring into space, eyes glazed over. He is always smiling when he reads, and he has her smile. S-"

Gilbert ran passed them, going through the front door, and Herr Edelstein smiled.

"Well, Gilbert can describe him to you when he comes back."


	5. Snow White the Snow Knight

_Snow White_

A small boy, laying down on his side, heard the door open. He payed no mind, thinking that, possibly, the nice maid from before was there to check on him again, and he continued reading, quiet, undisturbed. The book he was reading had quite a long name, so he simply called it Momo. Honestly, who would call it "Momo oder Die seltsame Geschichte von den Zeit-Dieben und von dem Kind, das den Menschen die gestohlene Zeit zurückbrachte?" That is much too long. He could make a joke right now, saying the name was time consuming. Then again, there was not many people to tell the joke to... And not many would understand, anyways.

The door shut, and the small boy had concluded that the maid had probably left, and he relaxed a little more, feeling the words of the book become more vivid. He never was able to read properly with other people around him. Unless, of course, it was Nikolaus.

"Hey, are you reading Momo?"

The boy shot up from his resting place, dropping the book over the edge of the bed. He yelled, hiding himself within the covers of the duvet, the sound weak.

"Woah, nonono, don't be scared! I'm not here to hurt you!"

The boy peeked over the covers, discovering another young boy, clad in shorts and suspenders, with big reddish eyes and light hair. He looked about a year older than himself, and the weak boy whimpered. No. He did not want to meet anyone, especially not a child. He didn't know how to handle such a situation.

"I'm Gilbert. You're not Snow White though... Are you Little Snow White?"

"No. I'm Roderich. Who is Snow White?"

The little boy looked shocked, his mouth agape and his eyes wide, eyebrows furrowed in either outrage or confusion.

"You don't know Snow White?! How could you! But you look just like her! She has short, black hair, super pale skin and red lips!"

"Just because I look like someone does not mean I know them..." Roderich shifted. "And I'm not sure I like the fact that you are comparing me to a woman."

"I'm comparing you to a really beautiful woman though. She's a princess!'

"I..."

Roderich pulled the covers over his head, burying himself further into the mattress.

"I don't want to be a princess."

"Well, of course not. You're a boy. You'd be a prince!"

"I don't want to be a prince either."

"Why not?"

Roderich frowned, lifting a small hand to hold to his chest. It was shaking, weak, and it just made him feel all the more awful.

"I want to be someone who can do something. I want to be a knight. Not a prince."

Gilbert was silent, and Roderich had to peek over the duvet to see what he was doing. The standing boy was merely staring at Roderich, no expression to identify what he was thinking, and Roderich became uncomfortable.

"So," Gilbert said. "So... You're Snow Knight! That sounds cooler!"

Roderich sighed.

"Sure. Sure. I'm Snow Knight. I hide within the falling snow."

"Yeah!"

Gilbert smiled and climbed onto the edge of the bed.

"You are the mysterious Snow Knight, Roderich!"


	6. Want a Friend Like Snow Knight

Roderich whimpered, scooting away from Gilbert in a silly attempt to escape.

"Please... Stop coming closer."

Gilbert frowned, wringing his hands together in a nervous habit.

"Um... Do I bother you?"

Roderich didn't say anything, once again covering his head, digging himself further into the mattress. Gilbert decided that the little Snow Knight was terrified as is by having a random person in the room, and he realised that it probably was not a good idea to climb onto the bed with him. So, Gilbert climbed off, taking a stool from the corner of the small room to occupy. Roderich heard the shuffling, yet he didn't look up.

"I'm not on the bed anymore."

"I know."

"Then why won't you come out?"

"I do not get along with people my age."

Gilbert frowned, and he placed his head on his hand.

"Yeah, well, I've said something like that before too."

Roderich remained silent, so Gilbert did the same. And although they were two children, doing nothing, the silence was not very awkward. It was more of an understanding that neither of them had anything to say, or just didn't feel the need to say anything at the very moment.

The sun bent down over the horizon, and the sky turned tawny behind the clouds.

"I should probably get back to my Pa. Do you wanna come?"

"No. I can't."

Gilbert wanted to ask why, but decided against it.

"Okay. Can I come see you tomorrow? Oh, and when you're done with Momo, could I borrow it?"

"Maybe," Roderich said, pushing off the duvet. "And why do you want Momo?"

"It's for a scavenger hunt!"

"A... what hunt?"

"A scavenger... Never mind, actually. It doesn't really matter. Not anymore. So, see you tomorrow, Snow Knight?"

Roderich frowned, pulling his knees to himself, nodding shyly.

"Sure, I guess... Just... Please don't climb onto the bed again. Not until I'm comfortable with it."

"Okay! Bye!"

Gilbert cheerfully went out the door, and as he hopped from stone to stone, back to the main entrance, he was thinking of all the things that he was going to tell his father when he came back, and all the things he'll tell Ludwig when they're on their way home.

* * *

"I told you! Even though it wasn't Snow White, he was really pretty, just like her! And he had eyes a lot better than her too! They're like... They're like those pretty flowers that mum would grow in our garden, a long time ago!"

"Purple lilacs?"

"Yeah! And Luddy, you won't believe it, he said he was a Snow Knight! That's so much cooler than Snow White! He said he 'hides within the falling snow,' or, something like that. Isn't that cool?"

"Hm? Oh. Yeah, East."

Herr Beilschmidt smiled as his son rambled over dinner. Even though Gilbert didn't get along with children his age, he had a good feeling about this "Snow Knight" that Gilbert is talking about.

"He's really shy though."

Gilbert's excited voice quieted down.

"He's also really quiet. It's hard to hear him sometimes. I don't think he can yell... But I think that just makes him even more cooler. The mysterious and silent type. Right?"

Gilbert picked at his food.

"...I want to be his friend."


	7. Making Progress with Snow Knight

_Snow White_

The next day, Gilbert and Ludwig were dropped off at Herr Edelstein's house while Herr Beilschmidt, driving a shining red 1966 Impala, headed into town quite a ways from home, admission forms signed and ready to be turned into the grade schools. Herr Edelstein let Gilbert do as he please while he took Ludwig to the library, talking about the wonders of science and technology. Honestly, Gilbert could not be any more bored by the conversation, and he was relieved to see silky black tufts sticking out of the blanket that catered the whole bed.

He reached over, ready to rip the duvet off, but stopped and listened. He leaned in close, cupping his ear, and he heard it, small and softly drawled out. Another one came, and Gilbert smiled. He gently lifted the covers from Roderich's face, examining the peaceful expression he sported, and Gilbert giggled, finding Roderich's curling and uncurling fingers adorable and familiar to how Ludwig was when he was an infant. He stuck a finger out, and Roderich gladly grasped it, wrapping his fingers around the one digit and twisting so gently that Gilbert could barely feel the shift.

"Hey, Snow Knight?" Gilbert whispered. His only response was another soft snore, and Gilbert sighed, lightly nudging Roderich side, where he knew it would hurt least.

"Snow Knight, please wake up. I'm not going to play alone, you know."

There was a small whimper, and Gilbert recognised it immediately, it being the same way Ludwig would wake up from a long nap when he was smaller.

"Gil...bert..."

Gilbert smiled and helped Roderich sit upright, organising the pillows behind the bedridden boy, and he pulled a lighter blanket off the stool he sat on yesterday and flattened it around Roderich's shoulders. Roderich smiled gratefully, looking worn down and absolutely exhausted. Gilbert frowned, now feeling sickly guilty for waking up the Snow Knight, but he immediately shook off the feeling when Roderich kept on a gentle smile and reached for the drawer next to himself, taking out the book. Momo.

"Do you want me to read a passage of the book to you?"

Gilbert nodded excitedly, standing on his knees and laying his head comfortably over his folded arms, which rested on top of the mattress. Roderich nodded in confirmation, flipped around the pages of the book, back and forth, looking with his trained eyes for anything that seemed interesting enough for him to read. He seemed so utterly focused on his task, Gilbert realised, and he got the sense that maybe Roderich was trying to look as if he wasn't bothered by the fact that Gilbert was resting his head against the mattress beside the Snow Knight.

Gilbert moved away from the mattress, and Roderich seemed to relax further into the pillows behind him, back losing their straight and proper form ever so slightly. Gilbert knew immediately that he had done something right, and he grinned in pure giddy, telling himself, _yes. _He giggled as Roderich chanted the words from the pages, soaking in the soothing voice. _We've made progress._

The clock no longer mattered. They were stuck in peace.


	8. Getting Herbs for Snow Knight

_Snow White_

The time was slow and lazy, dragging on as Gilbert and Roderich gradually got used to the other's presence, experimenting together, checking what was allowed and what wasn't. It was very obvious that Gilbert wanted to rush things, wanted to get as close to Roderich as he possibly could, already trying to climb into the bed to help Roderich read a word he was squinting at. And, of course, Roderich nearly had a heart attack as the young boy did so.

When the sky turned tawny, and clouds started rolling in, and Roderich had suppressed a yawn, and the light sound of an engine crawled towards the sunset, Gilbert finally deemed it time to leave.

Roderich was nodding off, head bowing down slowly, then snapping back up in slight realisation, and Gilbert smiled at him.

"I gotta go now, Snow Knight. You can go to sleep."

"You don't have to always call me Snow Knight, you know. Roderich is fine."

Gilbert frowned, shrugging his shoulders.

"You didn't seem to like any other nickname. I think this is the only one that makes you feel happy."

Roderich opened his mouth, but choked on his words, staring at the expression on Gilbert's face. Gilbert stared back, and he realised, very suddenly, that Roderich's eyes were probably the most beautiful thing he's ever seen and will ever see.

There was a loud honk outside, and the two children snapped out of their dazes. Gilbert smiled brightly and stood up, stretching his limbs and racing to the door, where his shoes lied.

"Bye! I'm going to school tomorrow, so I won't be able to visit you in the morning. Get enough sleep so we can meet each other in the afternoon, okay!"

Gilbert turned around after slipping on his shoes, and his smile faded away, as misty violet eyes were not staring at him, but looking through him, in some far off world that he knew he wouldn't be able to understand. Gilbert gulped, slowly walking towards the bed.

"Roderich, are you okay? Can you hear me?"

Roderich nodded and shifted under the covers.

"I'll get enough sleep... Say hello to your brother and father for me."

Gilbert nodded, then figured Roderich couldn't see that.

"Alright then... Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

"No... I'm just very tired... I'm not used to staying up for very long."

"Okay. Sleep well."

Gilbert exited, closing the door, yet he stood there. His brows were scrunched up in concern, because if he were honest, he didn't believe a single thing Roderich had said.

Sighing, he ran towards his father's car, hopping in, and driving off into the meadows, towards the fruit markets. Maybe, Gilbert thought, there would be some herbs there that would make Roderich feel better.

Yeah!

And so, Gilbert decided he would make his own medicine for Roderich. The most awesomest medicine that ever existed on this planet!


	9. What Are They Doing To Roderich?

_Snow White_

The next day was different, for Gilbert, and he wasn't sure if he fully enjoyed it.

He brought the herbs he convinced his father to buy at the market yesterday to school, as well as a small stone bowl so he could ground them together. When Gilbert attempted to create his most awesome medicine of all time, the teacher supervising lunch caught him and took him into the office, having him immediately tell them why on earth he was mixing a poisonous herb with cilantro. Gilbert frowned at that, not knowing that cilantro was just a recipe in salsa, and that the plant he picked from the bushed in the playground had poisonous leaves. Yet, he smiled brightly when he was let out, deciding that the more he knew, the better he'd be at making the greatest medicine ever. Knowledge is a brilliant thing, his father always says. Although, it was his mother's quote first, but that didn't really matter.

On a side note, Gilbert had made two nice friends that day. One was an older boy, a grade or two older at the very least, with bright green eyes and sun-kissed hair. He had a "big brother" essence to him, with that boyish, toothy grin, and proud arms bent over his hips in pride. The other was Françoise, or, as Gilbert called him, Franny, and he was energetic and polite, constantly trying to send positive aura to other children on the playground. Apparently, these two were a tag-team of councillors who cared and cradled the wellbeing of others who aren't feeling well in the playground. Gilbert liked this aspect of them, and decided that, one day, when he deemed Roderich ready, he'd have them meet. Maybe they would help in curing the little Snow Knight.

While he was walking towards Roderich's house, these thought in mind, he saw that there was black and white crowding the small door. Gilbert dropped his school bag, running on his tiny legs towards the gate that seemed locked and peered through, watching maids rushing in and out of the room, and Gilbert panicked.

This was the part he didn't enjoy.

He heard whimpering from the inside of the small room at the side of the house, and Gilbert called out, yelling, "Roderich! Roderich, are you okay?! What are they doing to you!"

A few maids gave the pale-skinned toddler by the gate murderous looks, and Gilbert gulped, quickly taking a step back. He looked right, down the dead road, then left, where his house was, and making his final decision, rushed in to find his father and fix this mess.

By the time his father and Ludwig had rushed to the gates, the maids were gone, and the whimpering had stopped. The gates remained locked, and Gilbert's father quirked an eyebrow at this little detail.

"Gilbert, I don't think you're allowed to visit Roderich today."

"What! Why?!"

Herr Beilschmidt frowned, not daring to look down at his shocked son, and ran his fingers through his bangs.

"I think Roderich needs to be... alone. Just for the time being."

Gilbert frowned and nodded, and the family went home. Ludwig held Gilbert's hand along the way, looking concerned, and when dinner came, Gilbert ignored it. Instead, he stayed up until midnight, mixing together herbs and referring to a small WWII medicine journal his father had kept as a reminder of Gilbert's grandfather.


	10. Roderich's Heart

_Snow White_

It had been a week, and Gilbert had grown even more worried every day, wondering what on earth had happened to his little Snow Knight that afternoon. It was terrifying, and when the gate's weren't locked, Roderich's door certainly was. Even when Gilbert had pounded on the door, Roderich did not open it— or, maybe he couldn't, not without a key, and it wouldn't matter, as a maid or a butler would come out, pick up Gilbert by the waist, and bring him inside the house to talk with Herr Edelstein before Gilbert could even expect an answer from the other side.

And so, there were a few days, like today, where Gilbert would sit in front of Herr Edelstein, twiddling his thumbs and kicking his feet nervously. These were the days that Gilbert got to ask questions.

"Herr Edelstein, what is wrong with Roderich?"

This was the first time Gilbert had asked that, since he wasn't as worried before as he was now.

"Well," said Herr Edelstein, leaning back on the couch and setting down his novel on the side table. "When Roderich was born, he was born unhealthy, and he was choking on his umbilical cord as well."

Gilbert nodded, knowing what an umbilical cord was from some reading he had done earlier.

"At first, the problem was simply that Roderich couldn't breathe, even when the umbilical cord was taken off. Later, we learned, was that Roderich's heart was extremely weak. He needed heart surgery. Well, not need it, per se, but if he wanted to live a regular life, he would need it. The problem that was my main concern was that Roderich was young. I couldn't stand the thought of someone cutting into my child at such a young age. And my wife, at the time, agreed with me. In fact, it turned out to become her dying wish. To let Roderich grow older, stronger, and wait for doctors to be more advanced. Then, when the time arises and Roderich is not afraid, he'll acquire his heart surgery."

Herr Beilschmidt reached down, taking his cup of tea and sipping. Gilbert frowned.

"I think that's cowardly." Gilbert huffed, and Herr Edelstein quirked on eyebrow, as if amused with the child's behaviour. "You're just terrified that you'll lose Roderich within the surgery. I don't like liars."

Herr Edelstein laughed.

"Yes, that too, I suppose. There's also the fear that Roderich might suddenly get sick before the surgery. It happens sometimes, like his mother used to. They were both prone to getting colds."

Gilbert frowned further, looking down to the hands on his lap, and he glared. After a few moments of silent seething, he got up, thanked the older man for having him, and left, walking home with his head down in thought. He said nothing about Herr Edelstein's ways of changing the subject.


	11. Roderich Returns

_Snow White_

The next day was a weekend, and as Gilbert sat on the porch with Ludwig, playing with the nutcracker his grandfather had made him, he heard the gentle roar of an engine driving towards the two lonely houses. Gilbert, growing curious to his tremendous boredom that had piled up within the week, set down his favourite toy and rushed through the front yard to get a better look. The black Ford Capri stopped in front of the gates of the Edelstein manor, and maids rushed to open them wide enough for the vehicle to pass through. It did slowly, navigating precisely and missing all of the flowerbeds. Gilbert gulped, and, deciding this was was much more interesting than the trucks that had passed by towards the markets, stealthily walked closer to the gates, tiny fists enclosing around the bars.

Two butlers rushed out of the manor and opened both doors, and Herr Edelstein quickly came out. On the other side, the butler seemed to be leaning in, and Gilbert notice skinny arms wrap around the butler's shoulders, and legs wing on the other side of the seat.

Roderich.

Roderich slowly steadied himself onto the ground, and he let go of the butler, who, in return, insisted on having the little master at least hold onto his arm, in case of anything. Gilbert watched as Roderich nodded in agreement, gripping at tightly as he could to the butler's sleeve and letting himself be guided towards his small room over the stony path.

"Roderich! Hey, Snow Knight!"

Roderich turned his head, and Gilbert immediately recognised the circles under the boy's eyes, dark in contrast to the near white skin. Gilbert gulped, feeling guilty for heaven knows why, and gripped tighter to the bars. Roderich smiled at him, and although it seemed strained, Gilbert knew it was genuine, and so the once-bored child circled around the gate and came running towards the little master, who still remained clinging to the tall butler.

"Hello, Gilbert," Roderich greeted once Gilbert was close enough to hear his soft voice, and Gilbert beamed in joy.

"I was worried, you know! The maids kept taking me away whenever I went to see you, oh! And that one afternoon, they were all crowding your room! I went to get my dad to stop them, but they were gone by then, and the gate was locked. Oh! By the way, I'm making a surprise for you! It's not ready yet, though."

Roderich patiently waited for Gilbert to finish, then added his own tip.

"I was not in my room for a while, Gilbert. I was at the hospital."

"Huh? Why?"

Roderich smiled sadly and moved a hand to his chest.

"I was suffering... a broken heart."

Gilbert knew exactly what Roderich was saying, and he reached out to grab the hand the boy was holding to his chest.

There was a minute or two with the boys simply staring at their entangled fingers, and it was only interrupted by the tall butler, who coughed into his fist, a tiny smile hidden underneath.

"Young master, I believe it is time to take you to your quarters."

"Oh, um," Roderich looked up, flustered. "Right. Excuse me, Baldwin."

Roderich smiled at Gilbert, letting go of his hand.

"I will see you another time, Gilbert."

And Roderich left.

* * *

**I had to fix part of this chapter. A chunk of it seemed to just disappear, so excuse me if you've already read it and was confused.**

**Edit number 2: Wow, I am so stupid. Punch me.**


	12. Making Breakfast for Roderich

_Snow White_

The next day, Gilbert had made breakfast himself, waking up early in the morning to do so. He fried the eggs in a pan, sunny side up, and sprinkled water on the top before he lidded it, then took out another pan for the mini sausages. He simmered them in pomegranate molasses, enjoying the sound of the pine nuts within them pop.

His father came down, holding a drowsy Ludwig in his arms, and smiled at Gilbert's handiwork.

"Are those for Roderich?"

"Yup! How'd you know?"

"Just a guess."

His father smiled knowingly, setting Ludwig down at the breakfast table and walking over to snatch a sausage.

"Mmmmph! You're making those ones mommy used to make?"

"Yup!"

Herr Beilschmidt nodded, a bit amused by his son's excitement.

"Well, they look done. You should hurry, before one of Roderich's maid's come in and try to feed him their own breakfast. Here— let me help."

They packed the sausages and eggs into bowls and wrapped it with thin layers of cloth, then set it inside the small picnic basket that hid in the cupboards. Gilbert struggled for a moment, trying to find a comfortable position to hold the slightly heavy basket of food without tipping everything over, and when he did, he slapped on his hat and made way towards the Edelstein manor across the street.

When he got there, he set the basket down in front of Roderich's door, then knocked. There was a soft voice on the other side, and Gilbert assumed that it was Roderich telling him to come in, and so he did.

"Hey, Snow Knight! Look! I made some sausages and eggs!"

Roderich was on his side, Momo in his grasp, and he peaked over the pages. He eyed the basket, and gave a genuinely confused look.

"Gilbert, is that a picnic basket?"

"Yup!"

"Does that mean we're going on a picnic?"

Gilbert's heart nearly leapt out of his chest as he heard the excitement and awe in Roderich's voice, and he felt guilty.

"I... Well, I wasn't actually planning on that. And didn't you just get back from the hospital?"

Roderich set down the book on the bedside table, rolling the covers off and kicking his feet to the other side, his nightgown wrinkling. He stood up, taking a moment to assure that he was balanced to himself, and turned around, smiling.

"I don't think I'm going to fall over just because we ate breakfast outside. We won't be out very long anyways, right? Let's go and eat in the meadow! Can we, Gilbert?"

It was then that Gilbert saw the desperation in Roderich's eyes, his need for escape, because Roderich has never acted like this before. He wouldn't act like this, Gilbert knew, even if he's only known Roderich for a short time.

He sucked in a breath, forgetting about asking permission from Herr Edelstein, and smiled.

"Yeah! Let's go!"


	13. Breakfast in Snow White's Meadow

_Snow White_

The walk was short, but Roderich was gasping for breath by the time they made it, and they had even took many stops on the way to assure that Roderich wouldn't... well, die. After Gilbert had found out that Roderich went to the hospital, he's been much too worried for a child to be. But Roderich found it sweet, nonetheless, that Gilbert was being so careful. Most children his age would just dash off and expect the other person to be able to catch up.

The meadow was pleasant. The flowers were shades of bright purples and whites, and there was a towering oak tree, it's base fat and spawning out, tilting low like it's leaves were a shawl. Gilbert and Roderich decided to sit under it, away from the heat of the summer light. Roderich leaned against the tree, a plate of eggs in his lap, and he smiled at Gilbert.

"You made these?"

Gilbert nodded, feeling proud of himself. "Yup! I woke up really early so I can make it in time!"

"There's cheese in it. And the top is cooked too, how'd you do that?"

The two chatted about cooking, and Roderich seemed very interested. They came from cooking, to baking, the sight of Roderich's positively glowing features pulling on Gilbert's heartstrings, and from baking, to sweets. Gilbert, apparently, wasn't too fond of sweets, to which Roderich called "blasphemy!" at. Roderich promised that if Gilbert were to ever try Roderich's cake, he'd fall head over heels.

By the time the sun was high, just above the oak tree, Gilbert realised that they had been talking way past breakfast.

"Roderich, are you done?"

"Hm? Oh, yes! I am."

The two set everything back into the basket and got up, dusting off their clothes of the grass and flower petals. They padded back to the house, Gilbert carrying Roderich half to way as the poor child forgot to bring shoes and hit feet were burning incredibly against the granite roads and burning dirt sidewalks. Roderich held the basket, his arms looped through the hands and draped around Gilbert's neck.

Gilbert's legs were aching when they made it back to Roderich's room.

"Thank you, Gilbert," Roderich said once he was safely back under the comfort of his duvet. "I haven't had that much fun for a long time."

Gilbert was very proud to be the person to cause this much happiness.

"No problem, Roderich! I liked it too! Maybe we can do it again... tomorrow?"

"Don't you have school tomorrow?"

Gilbert pouted.

"Then join my family for breakfast! I can wake up early and bring you over! I promise I will!"

Roderich smiled, but not a bright and happy one. It was sad, and Gilbert was afraid he already knew the answer. And so, he took the basket and went home.

* * *

**AHHH.**

**Homecoming night. **

**I'm going with someone named Andrew...**

**AHHH.**


	14. Snow White's Going Out Tonight

_Snow White_

Gilbert actually woke up late the next day, and he was then grateful that Roderich had disagreed to join Gilbert and his family to breakfast. He woke up his father, jumping onto the bed rather violently, which caused Herr Beilschmidt to yell and reach for the spot where his rifle was hung up in the previous house.

Apparently, Ludwig had been up since 7:30, but he was simply enjoying his quiet morning drawing colourful circus animals.

Gilbert got to school just on time, sitting down in his chair the moment the clock hit 8:00, and school commenced.

However, even after rushing to get to school, Gilbert didn't find himself eagerly listening to the teacher like he usually would every other morning. Instead, his thoughts were solely trained on the small medical book he had secretly brought with him, hiding it behind his Mathematics book.

"Herr Beilschmidt, stand."

Gilbert looked up, confused, and looked around, until he noticed that his father was not in the class, and that the teacher was referring to him.

He quickly stood up, knocking his chair over, and small giggles erupted all around. The teacher sighed.

"Front of the class. Solve this problem. Harley Schlag—"

Gilbert's thoughts were still somewhere totally different when he began writing on the board. Instead of solving the problem, he ended up writing the various names of medical plants he had been reading about, and the teacher irritably commanded him to sit down and see him after class.

More giggles were heard, and Gilbert ducked his head into his book when he sat down.

* * *

"Amigo, what's this I hear about not paying attention in class?"

The school yard was not as boisterous as usual, given that two-thirds of the trio decided to see what's up with their other member instead of wreaking havoc.

"I was paying attention!"

"The teacher was giving you lashes, I could see it outside the window."

Gilbert blushed, looking down in deep embarrassment.

"I... I had good reason."

"Good reason to skip out your education, mon ami? Ooh, do tell me, I want an excuse out of class— OW!"

Antonio hit the Frenchman over the head.

"No. There will be none of that. Gilbert, what was your reason for not learning?"

"But I was learning! I just wasn't learning what we were supposed to, okay? I was learning about plants and medicine and stuff. I want to be as good as großvater!"

"Your grand-père was a doctor? I didn't know."

"Sí, me neither."

"No, my _großvater_ was a _medic_."

"Oui. That is what I just said."

"I don't speak French!"

* * *

At the end of the day, Gilbert passed Roderich's house slowly, eying the window that was blinding the view, and Gilbert had an idea. A totally brilliant and awesome idea that no one could ever think of other than Gilbert.

At least, that's what Gilbert told himself.

"Roderich's going out today!"


	15. Snow White's Galaxy

Gilbert had planned it well.

It was after Ludwig and Herr Beilschmidt were asleep. The moon hung high in the sky, and the clouds were only thick over it, not covering the stars. Thankfully, there was very little wind, and the nights recently have been warm, so Gilbert was sure there were to be no problems. But just in case, he took out a light brown shawl that had once belonged to his mother and laid it over the picnic basket that he had filled with steaming treats.

Quietly, he snuck through the front door and closed it, locking it for good measure with his spare key, and scurried off to the mansion next door.

Roderich's window was open that night, and Gilbert could see the young boy's chest moving up and down under the covers. His face was turned towards the window, yet Gilbert couldn't see it as the moon did not illuminate the room. It simply made a glowing triangle shape around Roderich's hands, which were folded over his chest.

Gilbert knocked at the window.

Once.

Twice.

Roderich stirred lightly, his hands fisting lightly on his blanket. Gilbert knocked a little louder.

Three.

Four.

Roderich opened his eyes, them droopy and low, and slowly sat up.

"Gilbert? Gilbert, is that you? I can't see, you're nothing but a shadow. Your whole body is black."

Gilbert nodded, pointing a finger at the window, quickly dragging it over the base, and Roderich obliged, crawling off his bed and scrambling to open the window. Gilbert placed the basket over first, then toppled over himself.

"What are you doing here at this time of night, Gilbert?"

"You couldn't eat breakfast with me. So I thought we could eat dinner together." Gilbert crouched down to rummage through the basket. "Did you have dinner?"

"No. I refused it."

Gilbert looked up, confused.

"Refused? Why did you refuse to eat dinner."

"I saw you looking at the window this morning. I saw you through the curtains. I had a feeling you would do something of this sort."

"But you must be starving."

"Better than being stuffed, at the moment. I wanted to go with you."

Gilbert smiled.

"You knew I'd come."

Roderich smiled.

"Of course."

And so the two left, like silent cats, padding their way to the meadow from before, feet adorned with fluffy boots from Roderich's wardrobe. They were a bit small for Gilbert, but he didn't complain, and he certainly didn't complain once they've made it to the base of the spread oak tree.

They sat down and stuffed their faces full of steaming cinnamon buns and sausages, blinking up into the stars, the millions upon millions, catching so much colour; blues, greens, purples, within their eyes. Wonder and amazement. The curiosity of beautiful children unleashed.

When they had finished the basket, and their talking, they packed up and left, still amazed with the world. And both dreamt that night of stars and planets, how scary but brilliant everything seemed. They dreamt, that night, of time and space. They dreamt of being together, somewhere deep within the future, still sitting under the night, watching stars slowly inch their way across the sky.


End file.
